Three lucky winners will be sent their choice of either jojoba or rosehip oil!

It’s time to rejoice 🙂 Wellness WA have teamed up with the wonderful folks at Echolife (they offer the purest and best quality yet affordable products to maintain health and well-being!) to offer three very lucky readers their choice of a bottle of jojoba or rosehip oil.

Both of these oils are organic and have a huge list of benefits, so take a look, then leave a comment with which one you’d choose and why! Who knows… you could be finding a bottle of Echolife oil on your doorstep very soon!

♥ Naturally fights wrinkles
♥ Contains powerful antioxidants, Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids and vitamins A, D and E
♥ Similar molecular structure to skin, so easily absorbs and nourishes
♥ Helps treat acne, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, cradle cap, nappy rash and other skin conditions
♥ An excellent hair treatment, applying a few drops after washing imparts a great shine.

♥ Excellent natural source of vitamin C
♥ Packed full of antioxidants and other goodies like Omega 3, Omega 6 & Omega 9
♥ Helps minimise uneven skin tone and acne scars
♥ Rich in vitamin A, which is good for oil skin, sun damaged skin & signs of premature ageing.

Basically, both of these oils are FABULOUS, and you’ll have a hard time choosing which one you’d like! When you do, leave a comment below indicating your preference, and a winner will be drawn on 15 April 2011.

BONUS ROUND: Echolife have organised a special discount code for Wellness WA readers to receive $5 off any order until the end of the year! All you have to do is enter the words ‘wellness wa’ (without quotes) during checkout, and $5 will be taken off automatically. There is no limit per person per use so anyone can use it as much as they like for the rest of the year!

GOOD LUCK 🙂 x

Be well,

xoxo

♥

1. Australian Grown Sunflower Seeds

I recently became interested in how I could get more Vitamin E in my diet as it’s said to be fantastique for the skin, brain and overall wellbeing. Sounds good to me, I thought, and went on my merry way to buy some sunflower seeds, which are little treasure chests of vit-e (along with lots of other nutrients)!

Unfortunately I was disappointed at how hard it was to find Australian grown and produced sunflower seeds – they were all imported from overseas. I decided to check with Organic ‘n Green, the place I buy my organic veggies from and lo and behold they stock certified organic Australian grown sunflower seeds as well – this company never ceases to impress me!!

I’m now the proud owner of some sunflower seeds that were grown within our shores, and I’m loving adding them to my salads and trail mixes 🙂

♥

2. The tastiest drink!

Today I had this smoothie, and it was totally delicious, I call it the Double Whammy Banana & Blueberry Smoothie:

♥ 1 x cup of Vitasoy vanilla soy milk
♥ 2 medium sized ripe / just overripe bananas (decadent in these times!)
♥ 1 x cup of frozen blueberries (or more if you prefer)
♥ 1 x cup of baby spinach
♥ 1-2 tsp wheatgerm

Whiz it all up and you are left with a tasty dream treat. Vanilla soy milk is SO much more palatable than regular soy milk, in my opinion. The vanilla Vitasoy can be hard to come by but if you see it, pick some up, I bet you’ll like it!

3. Omnilux

I’m still going with my Omnilux sessions! For best results you need to have at least 2 sessions a week over a 4 week period. I just had my third treatment today. I can definitely tell the difference in my skin the day after! The other interesting thing to note is that the red light is about 40x brighter than the blue light! For me, the red takes me about 5-10 minutes after the session is completed to re-adjust to normal vision (with goggles and cotton wool) but with the blue or white light it’s no problem at all! I’m currently having my sessions at Skin Deep in the city and I always look forward to my next sesh :)!

♥ Eyeliner – & Brush

4. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner & Brush

For the ‘makeup skills challenged’ among us, and I firmly plant myself within that group, this little duo from Bobbi Brown is a lifesaver. It is SO EASY to create a great eyeliner look with these two products, that it’s almost ridiculous. It lasts a long time too and comes in 10+ classic & quirky shades. There’s a reason why this pair have earned cult status worldwide and consistently make it into the top tens of industry experts… but if you’re like me, and still traversing the lower slopes of the makeup mountain (where do I come up with this!) then these are solid beginners companions. Highly recommend. Available online at the official Bobbi Brown online store.

Hans Bruechle..!

5. Date my Mate

Here’s something fun that’s a little bit different! Local fella and man of various infamy, Hans Bruechle, and a friend have teamed up to do ‘Date my Mate’ which is a web series dedicated to reviewing ‘everything in Perth’ as well as getting in a few sneaky dates here and there. The catch? They choose each others dates! Makes for some good giggles.

In the latest episode, Hans heads to the day spa and his mate takes on a brutal personal training session. All while trying to woo a ‘lady’ of the other ones choosing!

That’s all for now my darlings! Please feel free to share your current beauty & wellbeing crushes with me!

Be well,

xoxo

Francesca!

♥ First up, briefly tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’ve recently returned from living in the UK for 10 yrs, where I trained as an Acupuncturist. About a year ago I fulfilled my dream of opening a dedicated Cosmetic Acupuncture Clinic. Mi:skn Clinic was born from a desire to offer a natural and holistic alternative to more invasive cosmetic procedures, it is the first clinic in Perth to specialize in cosmetic acupuncture. I love my job and I love meeting people, there’s nothing better than going to work with a smile on my face every morning.

mi:skn range, available in-salon.

♥ Tell us about your daily beauty routine.

Mi:skn Clinic has its own skincare range, so it makes sense that I use Mi:skn products. All our skincare is completely natural and organic and is made in small batches here in Perth, I love to know exactly what I am putting on my face. My skin routine is very simple I do the same both day and night; firstly cleanse with Mi:skn’s Revitalizing Gel Cleanser, spray some Antioxidant Mist and then before it dries follow with a few drops of Rejuvenating Serum. I also pat a little Rescue Eye Gel under my eyes to keep dark circles at bay and sort out any morning puffiness.

♥

♥ What’s the one beauty treatment you can’t live without? And your favourite place to have it done?

I try to have regular back and neck massages, with my work I can get pretty sore muscles at the end of the day. I love the Aromatherapy Massage at Nature’s Hideaway in Mt Lawley.

♥ Who do you trust with your hair in Perth, and why?

I am so happy I have found Gemma at Christian James Hairdressers in Mt Lawley. She is not afraid to really chop into my hair and go short. I have recommended her to a lot of people, the other day someone stopped me to ask who cut my hair – I was very flattered – well, I assumed they were admiring my haircut and not trying to avoid the salon! aha.

♥ Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

I just don’t have the time to do home treatments. But I’ll let you in on a little ancient Chinese Medicine beauty secret. To reduce sun damage and discolouration simply boil some organic milk until a skin forms, store the skin on a saucer in the fridge, when cold apply the milk skin to discoloured areas for 10 minutes. Repeat weekly.

Alkoomie Organic Bloom – $78.

♥ Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products? Oh that’s easy:

1. Mi:skn Rejuvenating Serum
2. Alkoomie Organic Bloom roll on perfume
3. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

♥ Do you have any secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?

Eat well, limit sun exposure and always remove make-up thoroughly.

♥ What beauty treatment/ wellbeing activity would you love to try but haven’t yet? (Due to time, money, scared etc!)

I have been told I should try Cranial Sacral Therapy to sort out my back. I have a recommendation for a practitioner in Fremantle, but to be honest it’s too far for me to go. Has anyone got any suggestions?

The only word that comes to mind is “yes”.

♥ Describe a typical day of eating for you.

I have been put on a special diet by my naturopath, so for the time being I start the day with half a cup of organic porridge cooked in oat milk and water and sprinkled with crushed nuts. I have nuts for morning snacks.

Lunch is usually a salad with some egg or tuna and a couple of ryvita. More snacks in the afternoon (popcorn, nuts, organic cornchips) and for dinner some pasta or meat/fish with salad or veg. No sugar, no dairy, no yeast and no processed foods – all my favourite foods!

♥ Describe your fitness routine.

I am afraid there is no routine. I walk loads at the weekend, sometimes 2-3 hrs. Does walking up two flights of stairs three times a day count?

♥ Do you take part in any alternative therapies or take supplements? If so, discuss.

At the moment I am seeing Dr. Kitty Campion (she is awesome) she is primarily a herbalist, but also a naturopath and iridologist. I take multivitamins and probiotics, I am a strong believer in prescribed supplements, the stuff off the shelf just isn’t potent enough.

♥ How do you like to relax? What are your favourite ways to de-stress?

I love to sit in Hyde Park and watch the world go by, it has a lovely energy and really calms me.

Please leave any questions below! We also did a review of mi:skn clinic that you can find here.

Be well,

xoxo

♥ Snakey Skincare ♥

I like to think of Rodial as being the new kids on the block. Although starting up in 1999 surely means that by now they are no rookies, still, Rodial is new to my life. I’ve tried a couple of their products so far, and although their sometimes unusual ingredients have come under a bit of scrutiny here and elsewhere I’m sure, I have really enjoyed them. So I’m adding two more to the pile.

Rodial Glamtox Cleanser – $80

Number one (the first I tried and the one I preferred) Rodial’s Glamtox Cleanser. At first when I read that this product had lightening agents in it I thought ‘OH NO please if I was any paler I would disappear’ but, as you can probably imagine a. I am a bit dramatic and b. it doesn’t exactly work like that. I really loved this cleanser because it was thick, had a great smell, removed make up easily and guess what- after using it everyday for two weeks I noticed discolourations and marks that had been on my face for a while now start to lighten and fade. That’s the first time I have ever seen that happen! Thank you lightening and brightening agents. All round a really lovely hard working little cleanser.

Rodial Glam Balm – $100

Number two was the Rodial Glam Balm 2 in 1 lip and wrinkle plumper. By definition it is ‘2 in 1’ but I found that this balm was really versatile and could really be called ’HEAPS in 1’.

It can be used as an anti ageing treatment for the face, lips, neck and hands and I found I started using it on small cuts or small areas of dry skin as well as to keep my lips hydrated. It’s the perfect size to carry around with you in your bag and isn’t greasy or sticky, so if you hate that gluey feeling of some lip-glosses or lip balms this is right up your alley. I didn’t feel the plumping effect but the condition of the skin on my lips became softer and smoother- actually any skin I put it on became softer and smoother and just generally better looking and feeling.

I am also very much looking forward to using it as in-flight mask because the moisturizing quality of this product really gives me confidence that using it will help side step that dried out, crackly feeling your skin gets when you fly (and I live in Western Australia so going anywhere on a plane is always a long trip). An ideal multi-purpose purchase.

Article by dream snake-lovin babe, Adriane Daff.

Be well,

xoxo

♥ Cherry lurve! ♥

I’ve been wanting to write this post for ages and have now missed most of the Summer cherry season – noooo! Thankfully, these little red nutrient filled gems are also available in many local supermarkets in the freezer section if you can’t find them in the fresh produce area!

Frozen cherries ahoy!

So why have I been so keen to chat about cherries? Well let me enlighten you a little…

♥ Cherries are chockas full of antioxidants, which if you haven’t heard, are SUPER DOOPER little guys that cruise around your body, kickin’ bad stuffs ass, reducing inflammation and stopping cell damage, which in turn lower our risk of cancer and diseases of the brain and heart (+ much more).

♥ Antioxidants are also super heroes for the skin. Eating lots of antioxidant rich food, such as cherries and blueberries, can increase your bodies defense against sunburn. FACT!

♥ Great to have after workouts, as apparently they contain an anti-inflammatory compound that helps soothe sore muscles. WINNERS!!!

♥ Possible benefits in the fight against ageing. Free radicals contribute to wrinkles, antioxidants neutralise wrinkles, cherries contain antioxidants. I’m no mathematician, but it looks like it adds up 😀

♥ And possibly most importantly, the great thing about cherries is that they are delicious and contribute to your overall wellbeing!

This photo makes me go om nom nom

So now we need some mouth-watering recipes for you to try! Do let me know if you end up testing out any of these 🙂

♥ Healthy Cherry Muffins! YUM!

♥ Cherry Smoothie – I would personally have this without the yoghurt, there are lots of variations that could be made.

♥ CHERRY BRUSCHETTA – !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Conor over at Hold the Beef tried this and loved it.

So there’s a few options to get you drooling, let me know how you go.

Do you have a fave cherry recipe you’d like to share?

Be well,

Annette

xoxo